Shiffrin

[CnRzG]

Yeah... fuck Zuck.

[fatnslow]

Showing true champion behavior during a tough streak !

[ticketchecker]

We're not talking about the people who built the fucking railroads, Walter.

Gold Jerry, gold


Sent from the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

[telefreewasatch]

Been following this athlete since she was a kid.
She won both the giant slalom and slalom in the 2010 Trofeo Topolino children's races, the slalom by 4 seconds. Forty? countries participate. Vlhova was fifth in that race if I remember right. Later that year she won the Whistler Cup GS by 2 seconds on a 50 second course with Vlhova second. DNF'd the slalom, 3rd in the SG.
Opened a lot of eyes that year at 14 years old.
Her m.o. even then was training gates, sunup to sundown.
Never wanted to go ski powder, just wanted to train gates. Obsessed with it actually.

Fast forward to these Olympics and my take on her choking.
1) Dad died.
2) Has not had the hours in the gates the last two years that she is used to due to Jeff's death,
the pandemic, injury, and lately contracting covid.
3) She has raised the bar in women's racing; lotta really fast gals out there now on account of her.
4) Every team at every World Cup has a hill to train gates on. In Beijing this is not the case. There
are only the race venues, no training slopes.

What a stupid effing Winter Olympics. Biggest event in 4 years and they can't train?
How about the raping of the nature preserve, cutting millions of yards of earth from ridges and filling canyons with it to manufacture the venues.
And only man made snow which is necessary there, not the same grip as what these athletes are used to. A lot more hooked tips / straddles than usual, eh?
Not saying that it wasn't a level playing field.
Am saying that Shiff skis her best when she if running a lot of practice gates.
Did she choke? Yes.
Will she make a comeback? Let's hope.
The optimist in me sees her coming back with a vengeance, provided she can train normally.
Next olympics? Look out for her if she is still competing.
Here's to Mikaela surpassing Stenmark's win record...

[telefreewasatch]

Adding to the above, that coaching change at the last minute was strange, and that Coley Oliver was added to her staff was even stranger.
I watched him as a junior as well. He was on the Snowbird team with my daughter, same age.
Talented, but poorest loser I've ever seen.
He would go for it, DNF, and go beyond pouting. Tantrums. His dad didn't help the situation.
Saw him one time walk to his dad's car in the parking lot after a bad day (which was often) and swing his pole so hard at the antenna that he severed it.
Lotta anger there as a kid racer. Opposite of a role model.
Went on to achieve 2nd team all American status at UNH and was workin for Team X before being hired last year as a Europa Cup coach, mainly for strength and conditioning work.
Beyond surprised when he was named as a Shiffrin coach earlier this month...

[Creeker]

The Parallel GS is live on Peacock. Quality coverage/announcers and no spoilers from me!

[Dee Hubbs]

4) Every team at every World Cup has a hill to train gates on. In Beijing this is not the case. There
are only the race venues, no training slopes.

There are more training slopes at the China Venue than at most World Cup venues. The Athletes got more time on the "local" snow than at a typical World Cup and especially an Olympic Venue. They also had access to both the Speed and Tech courses within the closed course period (rule 14.2) that the FIS set 5 days before the event.

[telefreewasatch]

There are more training slopes at the China Venue than at most World Cup venues. The Athletes got more time on the "local" snow than at a typical World Cup and especially an Olympic Venue. They also had access to both the Speed and Tech courses within the closed course period (rule 14.2) that the FIS set 5 days before the event.

My bad. Believed bad intel., thanks for the correction. Feeling better about the host, and a little more bummed for her about her performance.

[Dee Hubbs]

My bad. Believed bad intel., thanks for the correction. Feeling better about the host, and a little more bummed for her about her performance.

The men freeskied on the D.H. course for 2 days before the first official DH training.
On the Speed Training run they had a full length SG course set up.
On the Tech Training runs they had 4 SL lanes available for booking and a 2 (3/4 length, 40 gates) GS courses set.
Beside the Team slope they had SL gates set on for Combined training, and then set a Par GS course.

The design and layout of this mountain was properly thought out. There were Cat roads, service roads for course workers, tunnels to cross courses, snowmaking stash point, and great training runs.
This will be an assist to the National Chinese Alpine Ski program for years to come.

[telefreewasatch]

Truly appreciate your knowledge and sharing it, Dee.
Feeling sheepish for trying to spread misinformation, a quality I do not admire.
Noticed that you said "local" snow. The quotation marks lead me to believe you think it was normal?
My assumption that it was different followed the belief that they hadn't trained on it and that an abnormal amount of folks were hooking tips and getting trapped on the inside edge in the tech events.
Curious what the athletes actually said about it, so's I can feel sheepish about passing on another unsubstantiated assumption.

[MTT]

^^^There ya go^^^

Got maps and everything. Hum

[skiJ]

regarding the Yanquing Alpine Center, I am uneasy with a ski venue carved into a nature preserve in a region that to my understanding gets very little snowfall...

I am aware that there has been significant 're-contouring' ski areas, probably around the world -
One of the wonders of my youth was watching the classic Downhills that wove their way down the mountains...

This thread isn't the place for a discussion about this.
I am old enough to remember when the citizens of CO voted Out the 1976 Olympics, and Beaver Creek construction proceeded anyway...


MikaelaShiffrin ...
I could not have imagined the Olympics would go this way for you !
it has not been your month on the hill, but I admire and I respect the way you handled yourself, including facing the media --

I wish MS future success in whatever endeavours she chooses to pursue !
As is written up-thread,
MS owes us nothing !

MS is a champion, and
has earned my Respect.

it has been a joy watching MS race ! !

Thank you ! tj

[EWG]

Adding to the above, that coaching change at the last minute was strange, and that Coley Oliver was added to her staff was even stranger.
I watched him as a junior as well. He was on the Snowbird team with my daughter, same age.
Talented, but poorest loser I've ever seen.
He would go for it, DNF, and go beyond pouting. Tantrums. His dad didn't help the situation.
Saw him one time walk to his dad's car in the parking lot after a bad day (which was often) and swing his pole so hard at the antenna that he severed it.
Lotta anger there as a kid racer. Opposite of a role model.
Went on to achieve 2nd team all American status at UNH and was workin for Team X before being hired last year as a Europa Cup coach, mainly for strength and conditioning work.
Beyond surprised when he was named as a Shiffrin coach earlier this month...

All of this. There are not many reasons to change a coach out 3 weeks before a major event. And those reasons range from unneeded distraction to really big problems.

Who knows - I’m not on the inside. But I’ve been around enough of this to see it as a real red flag.

[powdork]

[plugboots]

And a fourth as well.

[EWG]

Good to see.

[skiJ]

Good to see.

+1. agreed -- skiJ

[yeahman]

Fuck yeah, that was great.

[Danno]

Posted on her Facebook account today:

Maybe I should mention something more inspiring about international women’s day, or maybe say something about the past weekend of races in Lenzerheide… but my mind has been elsewhere…

This war in Ukraine is so completely outrageous that I don’t even know how to express myself. Refugees evacuees, children, and PREGNANT WOMEN are getting bombed and shot down while fleeing THEIR HOMES and HOSPITALS that were invaded. Millions of refugees are leaving their country now… including one million children (according to the UN), making it the biggest conflict to engulf Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands are without food, water, or power. All for what? What is the real point? I will not even try to act like I know what should be done, I don’t understand the inner workings of politics and especially not warfare. I have faith that those leading our Nations are working together to take action in every way they can. My hope is that whatever actions are taken— that they make a difference, and end this war. “Sickening” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Heartbreaking, appalling, terrifying, maddening... And, after making some donations or whatever other small thing I can do, I’ll go to bed and snuggle comfortably into my mattress and pillow, with a roof over my head and clean running water in the bathroom next door. And I’ll wake up tomorrow bright-eyed about competing in one of the final races of the World Cup Season, knowing that in only a few weeks I’ll be returning home to family, friends, and “peace”. But it’s not peace, is it. There is no peace when Ukraine is being demolished.

This question has been haunting me for some time now— how can I even care about ski racing at this point? How can anyone care about anything else until the war is finished and those responsible are held accountable? How? I guess it’s just as simple as the fact that we have to keep living our lives, but we also need to use our voices to protest this war and donate however we can to help those fighting in Ukraine, and those fleeing their home to stay alive.

Just a few days ago was my Dad’s birthday. He should be 68. He should be here. I can’t comprehend why he is not. After more than 2 years, I still don’t understand how life works and why some people live and some people die and some people start wars and destroy countries and some people ski race. Feels like I don’t know a single thing.

The first pic is Dad, Mom, Nana, Taylor, and me. 2 of the 5 people who have been the most important to me for all my life are no longer here. It’s hard to trust that they ever truly were… like they’re ghosts in the picture, or just figments of my imagination from a time when I didn’t have the overwhelming fear of the people I love the most dying and leaving me behind.

The second pic was from two years ago, here in Åre, on my birthday, just minutes after the races were canceled due to Covid. They would have been my “comeback” races. Instead, they were a symbol of relief that Mom and I could just go back home because that’s where we wanted to be. But a bunch of the women on the World Cup circuit signed this special-made bib in honor of my Dad… and that reminded me that when I look around, no matter how many terrible and ugly and disgusting and depressing things I see, I also see love, and support, and simple acts of caring from friends and competitors and family and strangers that make me think there just might still be some hope for humanity after all.

I’ll hang onto that hope cause it’s all that we have to hang onto, and I’m sending as much support to all of Ukraine as I can. If you have any suggestions for how to meaningfully help Ukraine, please feel free to share them and I will do my best to spread the word. [emoji173]️

Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank goodness you don’t have to see the state of things right now.

But still, I miss you so much.

[snojones]

If you don't love this woman.... there is something wrong with you.

[Supermoon]

If you don't love this woman.... there is something wrong with you.

Yeah. 100%. She’s clearly still struggling, and racing doesn’t seem to be an escape. I really hope she can find some peace somehow.

[jmedslc]

If you don't love this woman.... there is something wrong with you.

My soul really feels what she speaks about in that post. All of it. The world is overbearing right now (more than ever really imho) and it’s hard to grasp it all.

[Hood26]

Podium today! 3rd

Petra wins and overall just tightened up.

[CnRzG]

Shiffrin for Congress... Oust that hoser from rifle.

[skiJ]

an exciting end to the season -

I hope she has fun And skis well !
( I would love for MS to win the Overall !
Right Now, her heart (ain't) in ski racing. )

" have fun ! Quick feet ! "

tomorrow's race is important ( to the chase) ...

Good luck ! skiJ